JK Rowling defends hiring cherry picker after complaints it made children ‘late for school’

Parents criticised the trimming of 30ft hedges outside author’s home after it caused gridlock during rush hour

JK Rowling has defended renting a traffic-halting cherry picker to trim 30ft hedges outside her home as parents complained it made their children late for school.
The Harry Potter author attracted criticism from commuters after traffic lights were installed outside her £2.2 million house and parts of the road were shut down, causing traffic gridlock.
Rowling said she had tried to schedule the trimming of the leylandii hedges in July during the summer holidays to cause “the least disruption” but was prevented from doing so by other nearby road works.
The trimming was instead agreed to take place this week between 7.30am and 3.30pm.
Parents on the morning school run said the ensuing traffic jam had made their children late for class.
One parent, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Times: “Why can’t they do it in the February breaks? They have hours through the day when the roads are quiet.”
A mother added: “To cause traffic to come to a standstill at rush hour to cut a hedge doesn’t make sense. [It has resulted] in my child and many others being late.
“I can’t understand why the hedge can’t be done at the weekend or at less busy times like 9.30am until 2.30pm.”
The City of Edinburgh council said that any individual or business may apply for a permit to occupy a public road for activities such as placing a skip or erecting scaffolding.
“The appropriate permits were applied for and approved,” a spokesman said. 
A representative of Rowling said: “The hedge cutting at JK Rowling’s residence is annual maintenance that involves necessary traffic management for the safety of the general public.
“The intention is always to carry out the work with least disruption and the timing requires coordination and agreement with Edinburgh City Council.
“The work would ideally be scheduled in July, during the summer holidays, but due to other maintenance work in the area, it was agreed to take place this week instead.”